Chargers trying to figure out offensive line on the fly ahead of stiff test from Steelers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Under the best of circumstances, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert would be facing a tough test from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ powerful pass rush on Sunday night.

Being without a proven starting left tackle after Joe Alt suffered a season-ending high ankle sprain last week will make things that much more difficult.

“As long as the season is, and as much adversity as we might deal with, the mission never stops,” Herbert said.

The Chargers (6-3) had big expectations coming into the year that the pairing of Rashawn Slater and Alt would drive one of the best offensive lines in football. But Slater tore his patellar tendon in August, and now Alt is done after sustaining a second injury to his right ankle in a 27-20 win at the Tennessee Titans.

That leaves Los Angeles choosing from four players in Trey Pipkins III, Austin Deculus, Jamaree Salyer and Trevor Penning to fill its two tackle spots against the Steelers (5-3).

Penning started practicing with the Chargers on Wednesday after being acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline on Tuesday, going from one of the worst teams in the NFL to another pushing for the playoffs.

"Pretty crazy overnight, you know, you get five more wins, so it’s pretty crazy,” Penning said.

Penning was a first-round pick by the Saints in 2022 and has experience at right tackle and left guard. He also played left tackle in college at Northern Iowa. His first day with the Chargers had him working at both left tackle and right tackle to give the coaching staff a sense of where he might fit best.

“It’s definitely challenging at first,” Penning said. “It’s like writing backwards. You’re writing with your left hand versus your right hand, so it just takes time, a lot of work at it.”

Whichever two tackles get to start will have to deal with a Pittsburgh defense that seems to be coming together after an uncharacteristic start, getting five sacks in a 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith combined for three sacks and two forced fumbles.

The Steelers kept the NFL’s highest-scoring offense in check by forcing the Colts into six turnovers, including five from Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones. Beyond the takeaways, however, Pittsburgh’s 30th-ranked defense believes it took a significant step forward after getting torched recently by Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Cincinnati’s Joe Flacco.

Taking a simpler approach helped. A season-ending knee injury to safety DeShon Elliott forced Pittsburgh to keep versatile Jalen Ramsey exclusively at one safety position, with newly acquired Kyle Dugger at the other safety spot. The result was less confusion and fewer mistakes, something the Steelers believe is sustainable in a way creating a half-dozen turnovers on a weekly basis is not.

“Coach Tomlin is always saying you get turnovers when you’re fundamentally sound and in the right spot,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said. “I feel like a lot of players were in the right spot last week.”

Tomlin felt Pittsburgh caught a break in last season’s 20-10 win over Los Angeles as Herbert was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with the score tied at 10 after aggravating a high ankle sprain.

“It allowed us to do some things schematically that you’re somewhat hesitant to do if he has full mobility,” Tomlin said. “I think it nailed him down in the pocket some and probably limited some of the things they choose to do schematically."

The Steelers saw a full-strength Herbert in 2021 when he had 382 yards passing, 90 yards rushing and threw a game-winning 53-yard touchdown in a wild 41-37 victory for the Chargers.

Nine different players have caught touchdown passes this season for Pittsburgh, and eight different players have at least 100 yards receiving. No other team in the NFL checks both of those boxes. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ decision-making and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s creative personnel groups and never-ending shifts and motions have compensated for the lack of a true No. 2 receiver to put opposite DK Metcalf.

Metcalf, who is on pace for just 61 receptions, believes he’ll find more space going forward as Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson and tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith become more productive.

“Jonnu, Calvin, (defenses) got to honor those guys sooner or later,” Metcalf said.

Both Tomlin and Rodgers expressed their appreciation for veteran Chargers safety Derwin James Jr., with Tomlin calling him “just the straw that stirs the drink for them.”

“He plays high safety, the half-field safety, quarter safety, big nickel, dime linebacker,” Rodgers said. “He can do it all. I mean, he’s one of the top players in the league, and he can do it in multiple positions. He can blitz, he can cover, he can tackle. I mean, he’s one of the more impressive players you see on film.”

AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Tennessee Titans linebacker Jihad Ward (53) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (99) celebrates a fumble recovery against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (3) shakes hands with fans as he walks off the field after a win over the Tennessee Titans in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) forces a fumble by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Tennessee Titans linebacker Jihad Ward (53) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

U.S. President Donald Trump said the military could end its Iran offensive in two to three weeks and will shift responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz to countries that rely on it for oil and shipping as the White House announced a prime-time presidential address Wednesday evening on the war.

Trump expressed frustration Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the U.S. war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil.” Trump recently has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war.

He said the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” what happens next in the vital waterway that has been closed by the Islamic Republic. Instead, he told reporters, the responsibility for keeping the strait open will rest with countries that rely on it. Gulf states rely on the waterway for both exports and imports, including food, and 20 percent of the world's oil supply flows through it.

U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up.

Here is the latest:

Iran’s foreign minister has acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

The comments by Abbas Araghchi came in an interview with pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera aired late Tuesday. He insisted that the messages didn’t constitute negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly described Iran and America has having talks over the war, while Pakistan has been a key intermediary along with Egypt and Turkey during the conflict.

“I receive messages from Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations,” he said.

He added: “We do not have any faith that negotiations with the U.S. will yield any results. The trust level is at zero.”

Asked about a possible ground offensive by the U.S., Araghchi said “we are waiting for them.”

“We know very well how to defend ourselves,” Araghchi reportedly told the Qatar-based broadcaster. “In a ground war, we can do it even better. We are completely ready to confront any sort of ground attack. We hope they do not make such a mistake.”

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said in a preliminary count early Wednesday 21 people were also wounded in the strike in Jnah.

The strike came without warning, and Israel did not declare the target. When it does, it often says it is targeting operatives from the Hezbollah militant group.

Emergency workers rushed to the scene to search for victims.

Israel’s military warned the public Wednesday a missile was incoming from Yemen, yet another attack from the country’s Houthi rebels who have just entered the war on Iran’s side.

Air raid sirens went off in southern Israel, from Beersheba to the Mediterranean coast.

The warning, just around dawn, broke a long lull, more than 19 hours since the last time Israel’s military warned of an incoming missile launch from Iran, and more than six hours from the last alarms in the northern part of Israel, which in past days received near-constant fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A drone attack by Iran and its allies hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire, authorities said.

The state-run KUNA news agency said the attack early Wednesday sparked a “large fire” at the airport.

It said there were no immediate injuries from the attack and firefighters were working to control the blaze.

Kuwait International Airport has been attacked before by Iran during the war. The KUNA report suggested the attack may have been launched by Iranian-supported militias in Iraq with Tehran’s support.

In another strike, Bahrain said early on Wednesday morning that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack.

Israel said early Wednesday it struck a plant supplying Iran’s theocracy with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, to allegedly use in a chemical weapons program. Iran acknowledged the strike on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs” used in medical operations.

The strike happened Tuesday, both the Israelis and the Iranians said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted a picture of the factory in Tehran, writing on X: “The war criminals in Israel are now openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies.”

Hospitals extensively use fentanyl to treat severe pain. But a small amount of the drug can be fatal.

Both Israel and the United States have warned in recent years Iran was experimenting with fentanyl in munitions. The U.S. previously pointed to Iranian academic research studying how Russia likely used a fentanyl derivative during the 2002 Moscow theater hostage seizure by Chechen militants.

Israel alleged Tofigh Daru supplied fentanyl to an advanced research institute in Tehran, known by its acronym SPND. The U.S alleges SPND has conducted research and testing that could be applicable to the development of nuclear explosive devices and other weapons.

The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.

Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites.

Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, the three airlines agreed on the order. It said holders of 10-year Golden Visa residency permits could still enter the country.

Authorities have offered no official comment. But Dubai has already shut down the city-state’s Iranian Hospital and Iranian Club, institutions that date back to the time of the shah.

Residents and Israeli security forces inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A man inspect the wreckage of an Iranian missile that landed near the West Bank village of Marda, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike hits a building near the airport road in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A family who fled Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon warm themselves by a bonfire next to tents used as shelters in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)